


Night Terrors

by Nonchol



Series: Unrelated botw Oneshots [3]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Hopeful Ending, Link (Legend of Zelda) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Nightmares, Not Beta Read, Post-Calamity Ganon, Protective Link (Legend of Zelda), Protective Zelda (Legend of Zelda), They Love Eachother Very Much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:02:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28971774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nonchol/pseuds/Nonchol
Summary: The night was so cold, cold enough to make her shiver when she awoke suddenly in the dark, but it was not the cold that made her blood freeze. It was Link, standing beside the loft's stairs, clutching his sword like a lifeline and staring at the full moon as if any second now it would turn a bright blood red.-Old habits are hard to break, but at least they're here together. Post-Calamity Oneshot.
Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Series: Unrelated botw Oneshots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2109756
Comments: 4
Kudos: 88





	Night Terrors

**Author's Note:**

> I mean it's not as angsty as the one from last week so technically I kept my word, but I am working on a straight-up fluff zelink oneshot next that should be done in a day or two.  
> Enjoy !

It was not the first time that Zelda awoke to him like this. These nights were not surprising anymore. She knew that every month, without fail, the full moon would rear its ugly head and that every time like clockwork, he would obediently rise with it.

 _It was only a matter of time_.

And yet, all the same, seeing him like this, hunched beside the loft stairs and clutching his sword to his chest with a sharp, almost feverish tenseness...

It would always be terrifying.

_It shouldn't be like this._

_But then when have we ever gotten what we wanted? What we deserved?_

The moon illuminated the wooden floor before her, painting it a pale white. Every few heartbeats or so, the shadow of a bird or a falling leaf would cut through the light, and Link would flinch back so suddenly that Zelda thought he might slam his head against the wall behind him.

But she had to breathe. She had to keep herself calm.

 _It's just another night. You'll both be okay_.

All the while, he remained still, his gaze flickering back and forth between the open window and the door, never settling for more than a second. She thought that for a moment that his ears might have swiveled again or that he may have raised his sword just an inch higher.

_He's afraid. He's just as terrified as I am._

And she wanted nothing more than to sweep him up again and to pull him up to her chest to hold him, as they did on waning nights when their laughter was enough to keep the nightmares at bay.

_How unfair has it all been?_

But at least she knew what to do; The same things that he had done for her so many times before.

"Link-" She kept her voice soft, but just his name was enough to make him flinch again. His ears twitched with soft hesitance, and it took a moment for him to just look up at her.

 _Sweet Hylia_.

These days his eyes were always so bright, only ever misty with mischief or poorly stifled joy, but tonight they were cold. Cloudy. Narrowed and rough. They never truly met her gaze, only ever glancing in her general direction, but always focused on the full moon.

As if he was waiting for something.

But she knew what it was. This dance was not new to her. As lovely as the warm, sweet days always were, these cold nights were an unavoidable monthly ritual.

_That's just how it is._

So she repeated his name once more, and this time his gaze did focus on her.

"Do you want to lay down?" She pulled herself up against the bed frame. All the while, he did not move from his spot beside the stairs, but his ears did twitch ever so silently, as if he was listening for something that never came. "You don't have to sleep. Just lay down with me, please."

He never got much sleep on these nights anyway. Maybe an hour or two after sunrise, if they were lucky.

_It's okay. Relax._

She was not scared of him hurting her, that was impossible. Instead, she feared that he'd accidentally hurt himself that truly terrified her.

At first, he didn't respond. His ears only twitched again, as if he was a strange cocktail of predator and prey. But eventually, ever so slowly he rose.

_It's alright. We're okay._

He hesitated for just a moment at the circle where the moonlight met the wood floor. She thought that for a heartbeat, he'd refuse to take another step forward, that she'd have to come to him, but after a moment of just standing there before the moonlight, he skidded around it, reaching the bed with his sword still clutched firmly in his hand.

_Okay, progress._

She had to scoot back against the wall to give him enough room to crawl into bed. Every movement was tense and jerky, almost enough to make her flinch, but she did not reach for him. As much as she wanted to hold him and promise that everything would be alright, it would only scare him.

So she waited silently until he was sitting crossed legged on the bed. His mouth was clamped shut as if he was willing himself not to speak, and his gaze remained ice cold and hard.

"Do you want to put it down?"

He scrambled to shake his head. It was the first real, sudden movement from him, and it was almost enough to make her flinch.

“Alright. Okay.”

If he wanted to just sit here in silence, then they would. It wouldn’t be the first time, and she would stay up with him until sunrise.

But without warning, he spoke. Slow and slurred and shaking, but he spoke all the same.

"Can I-" he cut himself off with a hiccup, motioning blankly with his head to her lap. "Can I just-" Just like that, his words failed him again.

She hurried to pull the blankets back, murmuring, "Yes, of course." 

For a moment, she thought that she might have seen the faintest of smiles on his face, but he leaned down without another word. His head fit snuggly into her lap, as it always did, and when he finally glanced up at her again, his hair was long and golden, almost like a silk curtain that gramed his face.

"Thank you," he whispered.

It was so much easier to smile now with him in her arms.

"You know that I love you, right Link?"

She did not miss the way that he, ever so gently, laid his sword to rest beside him.

"I love you too," he said, and this time his voice did not waver.

So she continued, all the while brushing her hands through his hair. "And I'll be here every full moon night, no matter what. So please don't hesitate to wake me. I don't expect you to just forget all the blood moons and the monsters like that." She filled down, just low enough to press a soft kiss to his forehead.

"I love you," she whispered, and just like, his sharps sobs broke though.

"I'm-" it took everything for her to not hold him tighter. Each word sounded like it was forced out through a choked, painful sob as if he was still trying to stifle them, but couldn't contain them anymore. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, Link." She pulled away just slightly, enough to see his teary face, a face that looked so weary and so tired. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

She carefully brought her hands down to his face, tilting it up to cup him in her palms. Ever so softly, she brushed her thumb against his cheek.

_We've both been through so much._

But she was so unbelievably thankful to be here with him, tears and all because at least they were together. At least she could hold him.

_And I'm thankful for that, every single day. No matter what._

She shifted to wipe down the growing tears underneath his eye. Her chest churned with exhaustion, with heartbreak and worry, because Link of all people, the boy who had given everything when he understood nothing, deserved so much better.

_Both of us do._

But he was here with her. That was what mattered.

"Remember what you said to me?" she finally asked. "After we defeated the Calamity?"

He did not respond, so she did. She always would be here when his words failed, in the same way, that he would be for her.

"You said to me, 'I do not completely remember you, but I want to and I will try to.'"

He was bleeding and limping back then, his face bruised black and cut, but he smiled all the same, and she knew that regardless of what he remembered, she would do anything to see that smile again.

But to her surprise, he took a sudden, rattled breath, saying, "And you-" his voice shook ever so slightly, but she waited. "You said that it didn't matter."

"Mhmm." She could smile now, soft and light as she brushed her thumb down under his eye. There were still tears there, but now a ghost of a smile graced his face, as wobbly and as unsure as it was. "Because whatever happens, we're gonna work on it." She pressed her forehead to his. "Together."

She could not give him the world. She could not take away his nightmares just like that, but she could be here to hold him, to remind him of who and where he was. To remind him that there would be no more blood moons and that he had not failed because both of them were safe, even after everything.

_"We're working on it."_

And that, at least for her, would always be more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated :)


End file.
